Receiver.



No. 748,806. PATENTED DEC. 29, 1903. E F. E. PETERS.

RECEIVER.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 2, 1903.

N0 MODEL.

1 .2 W e Z 7 NZ Him, 7 Q W wi/bwmom UNITED STATES Patented December 29, 1903.

FRANK E. PETERS, OF FORT WASHINGTON, MARYLAND.

RECEIVER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 748,306, dated December 29, 1903.

Application filed May 2,1903. Serial No. 155,858. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FRANK E. PETERs,a citizen of the United States, residing at Fort Washington, in the county of Prince George and State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Receivers; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to cohering-receivers used in space telegraphy, and includes among its objects to utilize the local battery to assist in cohering the receiver, to confine the wavecircuit to the receiver by the insulation of its conductors from the conductors of the local circuit, and to produce an improved receiver decohered by rotation. These objects are effected by a construction which includes the use ofelectromagnets to form the terminals of the wave-circuit through the coherer on each side of the filings-gap, which magnets are energized by the local circuit upon even partial cohesion of the filings or other particles used in the imperfect contact-gap.

The assistance of the local circuit in overcoming the resistance produces a receiver of 'extremesensitiveness. The wave-circuit and local circuit are insulated throughout and not joined before entering the coherer, as hitherto. This insures the conduction of the entire wave strength to the coherer-gap. Furthemore, arotary coherer is provided in which decohesion is immediately accomplished on the cessation of the impulse, at the same time constantly maintaining a surplus or mass of undisturbed particles which are always in position to be affected by a wave. This permits rapidity of operation, because it is not necessary to wait for the rearrangement or recovery of the coherer particles after decohesion, as hitherto, nor is it necessary to use a series of coherers operating successively, as hitherto.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a diagrammatic elevation of the receiver. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section of the coherer; and Fig. 3 is a vertical cross-section through the filingsgap, showing the ends of "the terminals.

Referring specifically to the drawings, the coherer includes two electromagnets placed in reverse with the filings-gap between their ends in a glass tube (indicated at 6) sealed by insulating end plates 7, secured together by binding-bolts 8. Each electromagnet comprises a core formed of a shaft 9, which extends through the end plate, and a number of soft-iron wires 10, which are placed around the shaft within the tube and secured at the gap end by a ring of soft iron 11. A proper insulation 12is then placed around the coreand the coil 13 of insulated wire Wound thereon. The coil terminates at the gap end in a softiron ring 14L, which surrounds the ring 11 and is insulated therefrom by a ring 11 of insulating material. The wall of the filing-gap is thus formed of the ends of the core and the insulated terminal ringof the coil, as clearly shown in Fig. 3. The coherer is capable of rotation on the shafts 9, which find bearing in the standards 15. One shaft is connected to the aerial conductor (indicated at 16) through the mercury-well 17 and disk-wheel 18, and the other shaft is connected to earth through the wire 19, mercurywell 20, and disk-wheel 21. The coils of the electromagnets are connected to the disk-wheels 22 and are in the relay or local circuit through the said wheels, the mercury-wells 23, and the wire 24:, the local battery being indicated at 25, relay at 26, and sounder at 27. It will be understood that the disk-wheels referred to dip in the mercurywells and make continuous contact during the rotation of the coherer; also, that the coils of the electromagnets are in the local circuit and the cores in the wave-circuit.

The filings or particles in the gap between the ends of the eleetromagnets are indicated at 28, and they preferably fill about onethird of the gap or sufficient to lap the core and coil terminals at all times. When the receiver is in motion, the particles are carried up on one side with the glass forming the circumferential wall of the gap until, elevated above the angle of repose, they break at the top and tumble to the bottom, to be carried up again in continuous repetition. Between the bottom and top of the pile of filings in the gap is an area of undisturbed or not cohered particles, which are always in position to be affected by a wave and to be constantly cohered during the passage of a wave, notwithstanding the continuous rotation of the coherer. Furthermore, as the whole mass of filings are rolled upward and are broken away at the top by approximately one-eighth of a rotation decohering is speedily accomplished on the cessation of a wave by the tumbling action described.

In operation, filings in sufficient quantity having been placed in the gap and the fluctuating-point in the local circuit established, the wave or impulse entering through the core of the electromagnet coheres the particles and closes the local circuit, the effect of which is to assist or increase the cohering action by energizing the cores. The locat battery thus assists by increasing current to completely magnetize the mass and decrease the resistance after even the faintest wave has produced the slightest cohesion and started the local battery to flow. A receiver of great sensitiveness is thus produced.

It will be seen that conductors of the wave and local circuits are completely insulated until cohesion is efiected. The rotation of the coherer, as above described, produces practically instant decohesion on the cessa tion of a wave without affecting the continual recovery or readiness of the coherer for ensuing waves. Rapidity and certainty of action is thereby assured.

The coherer may be rotated by any suitable means. I have shown the wheel 18 toothed to engage a driving-gear.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A coherer having a continual area of decohered particles in contact with aerial and local circuit terminals insulated from each other.

2. A rotating coherer having a continual area of decohered particles in contact with aerial and local circuit terminals insulated from each other.

3. A coherer having an imperfect electrical contact, and a wave-circuit and a local circuit inductively related, and insulated from each other except through said contact.

4. A coherer having an electromagnet actuated by the local battery according to the space impulses, to assist cohesion.

5. A coherer having an imperfect electrical contact, an electromagnetforming a terminal thereto, and means actuated by the oscilla- Ma oo tions produced by the space impulses to energize the magnet.

6. The combination, in a coherer, of a tube, electromagnet-terminals therein having a gap between the ends thereof, metallic particles in the gap, and means actuated by the oscillations produced by the space impulses to energize the magnets.

'7. A coherer the gap-terminals of which are electromagnets whose energization is dependent upon the space impulses.

8. Acohererthegap-terminals of the aerial circuit of which are inductively energized by the local circuit to assist cohesion.

9. In a coherer, in combination, a tube, electromagnets therein the cores of which form terminals in the aerial circuit and the coils of which are in the local circuit, and an imperfect contact between the magnets.

10. A coherer having an imperfect contact, and aerial and local circuit terminals connected thereto, said terminals being insulated from each other and acting to assist each other in cohering the imperfect contact.

11. A coherer having an imperfect contact, and separate aerial-circuit terminals and local-circuit terminals connected thereto and inductively related to each other.

12. A coherer comprising a tube rotatable axially, insulated annular space and local circuit terminals, spaced apart in the tube to form a gap, and metallic particles in the 13. In a receiver, in combination, a rotatable tube, spaced cores arranged axially therein, said cores being terminals in the space-circuit,insulated coils around the cores, in the local circuit, and having annular terminals surrounding the adjacent ends of the cores, said ends and terminals forming the walls of a gap in the tube, and metallic particles in the gap.

14. A coherer having an imperfect contact continually in condition to be cohered, and aerial and local circuits connected to said contact and insulated from each other.

15. A coherer having an area of particles continually in condition to be cohered, and aerial and local circuits connected to said particles and insulated from each other.

In testimony whereof I affixmy signature in presence of two witnesses.

FRANK E. PETERS.

Witnesses:

GEO. E. Tnw, M. E. Comma. 

